If they had private rooms and were open 24 hours, they would certainly not be used for reading or studying.
It’s a capitalist society. You need dough to get that and there are new companies that have rooms like that with showers to chill hourly or by day.
You could join university libraries. The ones I inquired about cost around 3,000NT a year.
Before this Covid nonsense, the public can use the university libraries. I’m sure that will return.
You may find your way into the library blocked by a card scanner controlled gate and a clueless student librarian. I learned from my kid that these people do not work in the library because they want to. They work in the library to pay off a disciplinary action.
Anyway, if you get someone in charge they will be able to give you a temporary access pass if you give them your ID.
I’m not sure if you can use their online databases for free but I think you could if you get a staff member to sign in for you. When I was in school in the US, if you were inside the library, you had free access. I really don’t know how it works.
I haven’t really had time to check this out. I will the next moving day when I’ll have to kill some time in the library waiting for my kid to clean the dorm room to the satisfaction of the student staff.
By the way, I pretty much exhausted the non fiction audiobook section of the Taipei Library. I’m willing to pay maybe 100US a year to join a US or European Library. I’d also like access to old newspaper and magazines articles similar to Eric.
There are a number of choices but I’ve not found any reviews from overseas members.
There are a lot of articles suggesting libraries for overseas users but no feedback.
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No. Libraries are not like that here.
The Main Kaohsiung Library has plenty of space to lounge out from morning to night and you can hog all the space, including cute desk lamps and nap like the local students do.
If you live in a sizable village, you may find a study room open for the students. They really take it seriously in my village. No air conditioning but the windows are open and there are fans. And you can’t make any noise. You can hear a pin drop.
many Taiwanese live in very small houses so they choose the McDonald’s or other public places to study in.
And I’m a cheap bastard so I’m always looking to get out of the house for free air conditioning or a fan and to get away from the distractions of my electronics.
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https://news.google.com/newspapers
They have scanned newspapers all the way back to 19th century.
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Does the library offer any digital publication access? JSTOR, or Libby, RBdigital, and Hoopla?
Edit: I had a look around. It looks like they use EBSCO’s library service, which I’m not very familiar with. It opens the possibility for online services, hopefully journal access as well, JSTOR is much better, though.
I added the library to the Overdrive app, and there are English ebooks, audiobooks, and videos available, but I don’t have a card for this library yet so I can’t use it. Overdrive isn’t a good app, but I think the libraries compatible with it also are compatible with Libby, which is ok.
EBSCO also supports the Flipster app for magazines, but no idea yet if TCPL subscribes to that service.
Good or not. Overdrive offers DRM free mp3 audio books.
When your loan expires your mp3 files dissapear from the directory.
But you can play these files on any device. It’s up to you to delete additional copies after your loan expires.
Overdrive has the biggest collection of audio books. If you can convince your local library to buy it, overdrive has it.
My former US library had thousands of audiobooks.
if you apply VIA mail you can probably get your Taipei library card within 3 days.
Remember to call first because you have to send your original ARC in…
I’m listening to an overdrive book from the Taipei public library right now.
I’m not sure, but I think they buy in packages. I don’t think it’s one price for the whole lot, but I could be wrong. Maybe you get access to the whole lot, but the number of days you can check a book out for and the number you can have checked out varries.
Is that still a thing? I looked at the online application and it said they only do electronic cards now, either connected to an Easycard or a mobile card (which I assume is an app or QR code). I think the only physical card is a family card. The website said you can apply online but you have to go to a branch and then it wasn’t clear but something happened either to your easycard or you got whatever a mobile card is.
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Thanks for the heads up.
I’m not sure what I’ll do
when it comes to renew.
How did you set this up? I have a kindle and am absolutely clueless. (Sorry, born mid-last century, when everything was still paper and black & white television.)
Overdrive is basically an app or website to access library books, or can go via the Internet Overdrive website. Also available app for phones.
Different devices work differently. Even Kindle devices use OverDrive differently for example I think the Fire has a unique way to do it different from other Kindles.
- Get Taipei public library eBook checkout account. See above.
- Sign into Overdrive on Kindle with that account and password. If no Overdrive on Kindle, then… Add it?
NOTE: Kindle claims the overdrive on their devices only works with USA libraries.
Maybe someone here uses Kindle with Taipei Public Library I don’t know? But it’s worth a try.
Thanks, I’ll give it a try and report back.
I always wondered how those work. Can they be used to return books you didn’t get from the kiosk?
Great view! (I’m talking about the top photo)